Familiar
by dk-joy
Summary: Ban gets a familiar: a fluffy, white cat named Sassy. Are their attitudes too similar for them to ever get along? Light shounen ai Ban x Ginji .


Warnings: Language, very light shounen ai (Ban x Ginji – cause they belong together, dammit!)

Disclaimer: I don't own GetBackers (well, unless all the anime, 23 volumes of the manga, and two CD's counts…)

Summary: Ban gets a familiar: a fluffy, white cat named Sassy. Are their attitudes too similar for them to ever get along? Light shounen ai (Ban x Ginji).

'_Italics'_ = telepathy.

**Familiar: Chapter 1 - Sassy**

_Ring, ring._

The annoyingly loud, high-pitched ring-tone made several people in the Honky Tonk twitch or jump in surprise.

_Ring, ring._

"Oi, Ginji! If you aren't going to answer the phone, hand it over, dammit!" Ban spat acidly. His strong right hand struck the counter just lightly enough to avoid denting it. His chin rested on his left hand, which he moved slightly when his long, brown hair brushed against it, tickling slightly. The GetBackers had been caught in the rain earlier and he hadn't had a chance to arrange his hair back into his normal sea-urchin spikes. Unnaturally blue eyes glared at his partner from behind purple sunglasses. Almost as an after-thought he added, "It could be a job or something."

"Huh? OH! Sorry, Ban-chan! I got it!" Ginji said, reaching over to grab the phone, which had been resting on the bar to his right.

_Ring…_

"Hello? Oh! Hey, Maria-san! How are you doing?" Ginji's cheerful voice rang out. His short blond, spiky hair seemed to defy the laws of nature by shining brightly even in the dimly-lit room. Kind brown eyes closed as he smiled happily upon hearing the voice on the other end of the telephone.

Ban tried to figure out what the woman who had raised him for a short while wanted, then muttered, "what the hell does that old hag want?" Ginji opened his eyes and glanced to his left at Ban's comment and smiled in a placating manner. "Che!" was Ban's only response.

"Huh?" the blond GetBacker suddenly focused completely on the phone conversation, which caused Ban to shift slightly in apprehension. Somehow he didn't think he would like where this was going.

"A-are you sure? Can't I… oh. Okay. But I wanted to visit Maria-san too! Next week? Yay!"

"Oi, Ginji! What the hell…"

"Of course he'll be there! As soon as possible, I promise! Bye-bye!" Ginji hung up the phone, then froze when he felt a dangerously strong aura just inches to his right. "B-Ban-chan…" he squeaked, turning slowly toward his partner. "Ack!" he cried out when Ban grabbed him by the collar and jerked him close, their noses almost touching. "Uh… what's up?" he said, uncomfortable smile in place.

"What's this about me going somewhere? Who gave you permission to make plans for me, you little…" Ban's eyes were almost glowing with intense anger, and his hair was suddenly back to normal, spikes sticking up like bristles on a porcupine.

"Uh… I just… um Ban-chan… that kinda hurts, so… ACK!" Ban roughly tossed him across the room. Ginji barely managed to stop himself before he ran into the booth at the back of the café where they usually conducted business. "Ban-chan, I can explain…" he said, hands splayed in front of him in an ineffectual gesture meant to calm his seething partner.

"Then you better do it, and quick!" said Ban, walking toward the blond one slow, menacing step at a time.

Ginji took a deep breath, closed his eyes and yelled, "Maria-sanwantstogiveyouasurpriseit'sasecretIcan'tgobutshewantsyouthereyou'vegottago,Ban-chanIwannaknowwhatitis!"

Ban paused in confusion, "huh?! Slow, down idiot!"

Ginji opened his eyes and said slowly, "Maria-san wants to give you a surprise. It's a secret. I can't go, but she wants you there. You've gotta go, Ban-chan! I wanna know what it is!"

"**I** have to go because **you** want to know?"

"Y-yeah. It's a surprise for you Ban-chan, but she said I'll like it to. And she said it will be around for at least a few years…"

"…a few years huh?" Ban muttered, already trying to figure out what this "surprise" was supposed to be.

"… s-so you'll go, right Ban-chan?" Ginji asked hopefully.

Ban glanced at his partner and sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll go... but I'm not happy about it! And you better never pull this shit again, got it?"

"Of course not, Ban-chan!" Ginji said with a bright smile on his face that said, 'now that I know what I can get away with, don't count on it.' Ban interpreted the look correctly and sighed again.

_At Maria's shop…_

Ban had been muttering to himself and kicking random trash on the ground the whole walk to Maria's shop. When he finally reached the entrance, he put his hand on the door, hung his head and lamented, "why the hell do I let that idiot get away with things like this?" then he sighed and pushed the door open none-too-gently.

"Hurry up and tell me what the hell you want, hag. I'm not in the mood to deal with you today." He called out to the empty room. He listened in vain for an answer, then sighed and pulled out a cigarette. When it was half-way to his mouth, he paused as he felt someone's mind brush against his.

'_You shouldn't do that here.'_

"Who the hell says?" Ban challenged, looking around the room more carefully for the source of the voice. His eyes roamed over shelves of herbs and vials of noxious liquids, an old-fashioned cash register, a black cat…

Ban stared in surprise and dropped his cigarette. "M-midnight?" he passed a hand over his face, "No. You died twelve years ago. You're not here. I'm seeing things. What the hell does Paul put in that coffee of his, anyway?"

'_I apologize for confusing you. My name is…'_

Just then, Maria came bustling in, ample chest crammed into a too-tight shirt as usual. Her long, wavy hair was as dark as her eyes and just as full of life.

"Ban! You're here!" she studied Ban's slightly pale face and then glanced at the cat he had been looking at. It was perched on top of a counter and was calmly regarding them both, its black, sleek hair short and very close-lying. "I see you've met Stalker as well!"

"S-stalker?" Ban replied, taking a few steps toward the cat to get a better look. He sighed as he regarded it more closely, "of course. His hair isn't as long as Midnight's and he's much smaller. I don't know why I…"

"Well, it's been so long since I've had a familiar… your reaction wasn't so strange – I felt the same way when I first saw him. That's why I adopted him in New Orleans! He kind of has the same calm aura that Midnight did, doesn't he?" she said fondly, walking over to pet the cat gently. It purred loudly enough for Ban to hear it even though he was still several feet away. Maria cooed to it and rubbed it under the chin, smiling as it rubbed its cheek against her hand vigorously.

"It's nice that you finally replaced Midnight and all but why did you want me… to…" Ban's sentence slowed to a crawl as he felt something gently brushing up against him repeatedly. Then he felt a sharp pain in his right thigh and let out an undignified yelp. He stepped quickly to the left and looked down. A big white ball of fur was watching intensely as his shirt tails swished back and forth. The large cat was sitting next to him, fluffy tail swishing side to side as it waited for the perfect moment to pounce. "Wait a minute, you… OW!" the cat dug its claws into his thigh again as it caught his shirt tail in its mouth.

Ban growled and reached down. Grabbing the cat firmly by the scruff, he picked it up until it he could glare at it face-to-face. The cat looked at him with dark blue eyes and suddenly made a face like it had eaten something REALLY sour.

"What the hell is this?" Ban hissed, turning to Maria and shaking the cat toward her.

"That, Ban, is your familiar!" Maria replied brightly.

At the same time that a look of shock crossed his face, his grip loosened and the cat dropped to the ground.

"WHAT!!" Ban screamed. At the same time, both Ban and Maria clearly heard the white cat mentally scream the same thing. '_WHAT!!'_

Ban glared at the cat angrily and spat, "what the hell is your problem? You're the one who was using me as a scratching post!"

'_Maria, I always knew you hated me. Why didn't you leave me in New Orleans? At least people there know how to treat a lady!'_

"A lady? You're anything but, you little bitch!" the GetBacker sneered.

'_I am NOT a dog, you flea-bitten pathetic excuse for a porcupine!'_

"I am NOT dealing with this fluffy, white fur-ball with an attitude!"

Maria cleared her throat, "her name is Sassy."

"Che. It fits." Ban said with a huff.

'_Look, wanna-be human…'_

Ban spun around to face his new nemesis. "Wanna-be?!"

'_Yes, wanna-URK!'_

Maria had picked Sassy up by the scruff and was looking her in the eyes. "Sassy, darling. This is your new master. You'll just have to get used to it. He's not bad once you get to know him, I promise. I wouldn't give you to him otherwise. Please give him a chance. You'll like his partner! Gin-chan is a real sweetie!"

'…_fine. But only for a week. When I confirm what an asshole he is, I'll come back here even if I have to walk.'_

"Oi, you little…"

"BAN!" Maria barked. The brunette huffed, but indicated that he would listen. "She'll make you a wonderful familiar – I wouldn't have adopted her for you otherwise. Give HER a chance, too, please. Oh! She's kinda afraid of storms, so make sure she's not around when Ginji turns into Raitei, okay?"

Both Ban and Sassy were now tensed. Ban always hated it when people mentioned Raitei. Sassy made a truly pathetic sound in the back of her throat.

'_S-storms?! R-raitei?'_

Sassy was fighting to get away from Maria, but the witch just pulled her close and cuddled her, mumbling soothing non-sense.

Ban pulled out a cigarette and lit it after glancing at Stalker and noting his disapproving mental grunt. "What's her problem?" he mumbled.

"She was in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. Her original owner didn't evacuate and died in the floods. Sassy herself barely made it, and found herself in the hands of a well-intentioned rescue organization. She received minimal training as a kitten, but she didn't have anyone to practice with for the past year or so. That is, until I picked her up." Maria continued to soothe Sassy, rubbing behind her ears.

"… and why should I care?"

"BAN! Just… try it out for a little while, okay?"

"Why can't I have him?" Ban whined, pointing at Stalker.

'_Because I have already bonded with Maria. We have a mutually beneficial relationship and you should attempt to establish one with Sassy. She's not so bad, once you get used to her mood swings.'_

'_I HEARD that, you pretty-boy bastard!'_

'_Why, thank you for that compliment, darling.'_

'_ARGH! You are infuriating, Stalker-kun!'_

Ban, who had been listening to the two cats insult each other, decided to step into the conversation. "Wait a minute, is he younger than you, Sassy?"

'_Che! Of course! I'm a mature lady of two and he's a kitten. Only six months old.'_

Stalker chose to ignore the comment and began grooming himself, already bored with the childish name-calling.

"ANYWAY… please take care of her, Ban!"

"…whatever," he turned to the white fluff-ball that he now owned, "come on, Sassy."

_Back at the Honky Tonk…_

Ginji had been glancing at the door of the Honky Tonk every few seconds ever since Ban had left. After a while, Paul had offered to let Ginji have a "free" lunch if he would help Natsumi clean the dishes. The blond immediately agreed and started helping, checking the door for his partner only half as often as he had before. Paul sighed in thanks for that little bit of relief and continued to read his paper.

When he finally heard Ban's footsteps approaching the door, Ginji bounced out of his chair in excitement, barely restraining himself from rushing to the door to greet his partner. He would normally have been excited at the thought of seeing Ban again after they had been apart (even if it **had** been less than an hour), but knowing that Ban would have Maria's 'surprise' with him made him even more energetic.

When Ban walked in, Ginji gasped at what he saw. The sour look on his partner's face barely registered before his eyes rested on the 'surprise.'

Cradled in Ban's arms was a large, long-haired white cat with large, dark blue eyes which scanned its surroundings alertly.

"BEAUTIFUL!" Ginji exclaimed when the cat's eyes finally came to rest on him.

Unknown to Ginji and every other non-witch in the room, Sassy replied, _'Finally, someone who appreciates my beauty! Who is this paragon of the human species?'_

Ban grimaced at her flowery speech and mentally replied, _'That is my idiot partner, Ginji.'_

'_I think I'm in love!'_

'_Oi! Don't get any funny ideas…'_

Ginji skipped over happily and devoured her with his eyes. "Wow, Ban-chan! That must be a girl, right? It's too pretty to be a boy! What's her name?"

"Sassy." Ban replied at the same time that said cat mentally purred, _'Mmm… smart too! He's too pretty to be a boy, too, right Ban?'_

'_Right… hey! Wait a minute! You can't just call me by name! I'm your master!'_

'_Right, right. Should I call you 'Ban-chan' instead, or is it only Ginji who's allowed to call you that?'_

'_Why you little…'_

While witch and familiar had been bickering mentally, Ginji had been admiring Sassy and happily exclaiming over her beauty and grace.

"Can I hold her, Ban-chan?" he asked brightly, practically jumping up and down in excitement.

"I guess…"

"Yay! Thank you, Ban-chan!"

Ginji gently reached over, and let Sassy sniff his hand to get used to his scent. Then he whispered to her, "would you please let me hold you, pretty girl?"

Sassy immediately jumped into his arms, making sure her back claws grazed Ban's forearms. Ban's indignant squawk was ignored by both his cat and his partner.

"She's so soft! Wow, Ban-chan! She's the best surprise ever, huh?" Ginji happily petted the purring white fur-ball while Ban mentally seethed. Sassy continued to taunt him mentally, finally ending with, _'I bet I could steal him from you, grumpy!'_ as she rubbed her face against Ginji, making the blond giggle with delight.

"Stop flirting with MY partner, you little… urk… I mean…" Ban looked awkwardly around at all the faces that were looking at him with varying mixtures of confusion and amusement. A faint blush rose in his cheeks. "She's my familiar. She was talking to me and saying… things… about… forget it." He sighed and pulled out a cigarette, trying to remain calmly aloof as everyone stared at him with complete and utter disbelief. Sassy started to snicker, making it that much harder for him to maintain his composure.

"It's been a long day…" he sighed.

TBC…


End file.
